Cheers
You might think Saturday was a dull day around DIH's house. Change the sheets, do the laundry, clean up the bedrooms. But it's not anywhere near as dull as it sounds, thanks to The Beer Show.
I don't know what the real name of the program is, but every Saturday afternoon one of the local radio stations, that usually plays the Laura Ingraham or Hugh Hewitt shows, devotes an hour to beer-making. Every week they have a new guest who makes his own beer. He talks about his beer. How he makes it, what it tastes like, how much he produces in his basement or wherever. It's amazing how much conversation those guys can get out of hops and barley. Not to mention where they get their bottles and where they had to go to buy their equipment. (Oy, the shipping prices!)
Last week it was a guy who actually restarted a commercial microbrewery. I've never seen his beer but I think the name says it all: "Bender." Now there's a name with a message. Even the host said, a little abashedly, "You know, most guys go with some kind of geographic name, or something." But the brewmeister was clear: no subliminal messages for him. "Buy Bender and have one." Bada -bing, bada-boom, we're done.
It's not all glitz and glamor, of course, Every Beer Show has its moment of tender insight because they always ask the Tender Insight Question: "What drew you to beer-making in the first place?"
The most common answer? "I was home for a few weeks taking care of my kids, and I couldn't stop thinking about beer."
The wisdom of the ages is in that response.
I don't know what the real name of the program is, but every Saturday afternoon one of the local radio stations, that usually plays the Laura Ingraham or Hugh Hewitt shows, devotes an hour to beer-making. Every week they have a new guest who makes his own beer. He talks about his beer. How he makes it, what it tastes like, how much he produces in his basement or wherever. It's amazing how much conversation those guys can get out of hops and barley. Not to mention where they get their bottles and where they had to go to buy their equipment. (Oy, the shipping prices!)
Last week it was a guy who actually restarted a commercial microbrewery. I've never seen his beer but I think the name says it all: "Bender." Now there's a name with a message. Even the host said, a little abashedly, "You know, most guys go with some kind of geographic name, or something." But the brewmeister was clear: no subliminal messages for him. "Buy Bender and have one." Bada -bing, bada-boom, we're done.
It's not all glitz and glamor, of course, Every Beer Show has its moment of tender insight because they always ask the Tender Insight Question: "What drew you to beer-making in the first place?"
The most common answer? "I was home for a few weeks taking care of my kids, and I couldn't stop thinking about beer."
The wisdom of the ages is in that response.
The correct answer is because unless you live in the lower Midwest (an area served by KC's Boulevard Brewing) you simply cannot get a decent Irish Ale in this country.
ReplyDeleteSadly, I live where temperatures in the mid40s are considered threats to wooly mammoths. (No, seriously, there are people in parkas out in 44F degree weather.) Therefore I can only look upon home brewers wistfully, thinking of proper Irish Ale.
-J.
I'm a fellow Minne-sooootan. The beer maker is Surly (local brewery from Brooklyn Park) - the beer, Bender, is good. But they also make Surly Furious! Everyone should try it.
ReplyDelete